The New Orleans Pelicans don’t need to spend this season trying to rescue Jordan Poole’s market value. At this point, the cleaner move is to treat him like what he appears to be on this roster: a costly guard who does not fit, does not crack the top eight, and probably doesn’t belong in the top 10 of the rotation.
That’s the uncomfortable reality hanging over New Orleans before the season even gets rolling. Giving Poole meaningful minutes just to showcase him would mean pulling those chances away from players who are steadier, better suited to Jamahl Mosley’s system, or more likely to still be around after this year.
The Pelicans already took one swing on a player with a big contract and a shaky fit. There’s no reason to double down by trying to squeeze him into a role that doesn’t naturally exist.
Poole’s own career explains why this has gotten tricky. His strongest stretch came with the Golden State Warriors, where he operated with real offensive freedom inside a championship machine.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr gave him structure and cover. In Golden State’s 2021-22 championship season, Poole averaged 18.5 points and 4.0 assists while shooting 44.8% from the floor and 36.4% from three.
He was even better when the games mattered most. In the postseason, he put up 17 points per game and shot 50.8% overall and 39.1% from beyond the arc. The Warriors could lean into his creativity because their established stars absorbed plenty of the fallout when his decision-making went sideways.
Washington gave him a different runway altogether. The Wizards were rebuilding, so the priority was opportunity, not wins. Poole could handle the ball, live with mistakes, and fire away without it wrecking a larger competitive plan.
That setup led to a career-high 20.5 points per game in 2024-25, though it came on an 18-win team.
New Orleans doesn’t have either of those comforts. The Pelicans are not carrying Golden State’s championship backbone, and they can’t operate like Washington did in a teardown. Mosley needs players who defend, protect the ball, hit open looks, and function inside the offense.
Poole has too often been the opposite of that. His shot selection can blow up a possession.
He needs the ball and repeated touches to find any rhythm. And when the shot isn’t falling, the defense and the gambling become hard to live with.
That was the story last season. In 39 games, he averaged 13.4 points while shooting 37.2% from the field and 33.3% from three. His role faded all the way down, and he ended up sitting through 12 healthy scratches over a 17-game span.
The offseason only pushed him further away from the minutes that matter. Dejounte Murray is the veteran lead guard.
Jeremiah Fears needs his run. Bennedict Mathurin is due for opportunities after averaging 17.6 points last season.
AJ Johnson, Bryce McGowens, and Jaron Pierre Jr. are all younger and cheaper.
So the idea of using Poole as a trade-value rehab project makes little sense. That would just waste Mosley’s time and eat up minutes that should go to players who actually matter to the Pelicans’ present and future.
The real value is simpler: the $34.04 million that comes off the books when his contract expires next summer.
New Orleans should guard that flexibility. If another team comes with an offer that is truly worth it and doesn’t saddle the Pelicans with bad long-term money, then make the move. If injuries force Mosley to reach deeper into the guard group, Poole can step in.
He is being paid very well, and the expectation in return should be straightforward: stay engaged in practice, support teammates, and stay ready in case of emergency. A professional approach in a reduced role could help him start repairing his reputation.
But that kind of work should happen quietly, not through game minutes that belong to someone else.
In Other News...
Willie Green Lands A Role Pelicans Fans Will Definitely Notice
Willie Green has surfaced in a new setting just as the NBA coaching carousel keeps spinning. The Dallas Mavericks announced their assistant coaching staff for the upcoming season under first-year head coach Dusty May, and Green is among the names joining a group that also includes Garrett Temple, Joe Boylan, Drew Williamson, Mody Maor, Rob Fodor and Sam Hershberger.
For Pelicans fans, it is the kind of development that is hard to miss because Green spent enough time in New Orleans to become a familiar face. Dallas is also giving Nate Mitchell a dual title as assistant coach and head coach of the Texas Legends, while Tyson Chandler and Quincy Acy remain in player development roles, giving the staff a mix of new arrivals and familiar NBA hands. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Mock Trade Solves Zion Problem They Still Havent Fixed
The Pelicans keep circling the same roster question around Zion Williamson: how to build a frontcourt that actually supports him on both ends. In that conversation, center has become the obvious pressure point, and the idea of adding Myles Turner offers a clean basketball answer. Turners rim protection would help stabilize the defense, while his ability to stretch the floor would give Zion more room to operate downhill, which is the kind of fit New Orleans has been chasing.
One mock trade imagines the Pelicans getting Turner from the Bucks for Jordan Poole and two future first-round picks, a framework that speaks more to roster construction than to any confirmed movement. It is the kind of deal that makes sense on paper because it addresses obvious needs, but it also underscores how unsettled the Pelicans still are in solving the Zion puzzle. The logic is there, even if the actual path remains very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce McGowens Has A Real Chance To Force Pelicans Decisions
Bryce McGowens heads into preseason with a familiar kind of challenge for a young guard: he has already shown enough to stay on the radar, but not enough to make his place feel locked in. After appearing in 42 games last season and turning a two-way contract into a three-year standard deal, he now gets a fresh chance to prove he belongs in a regular rotation role for New Orleans.
That opportunity comes with some real competition, though, because the Pelicans are crowded on the perimeter and the new coaching staff will be watching closely. McGowens will have to lean on his shooting and his defense to separate himself from a guard-and-wing-heavy group, and preseason could end up shaping more than just his minutes if he makes the right impression. [Read more 🡒]